


The Deity of the Mountains

by DarkPledge



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not Related, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possessive Behavior, Protective Sesshomaru (InuYasha), They are NOT brothers, demon rage, he just wants his puppy back, inuyasha does not trust humans, minor damage, sesshoumaru hates them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:14:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23903704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkPledge/pseuds/DarkPledge
Summary: “Five hundred years ago, it is said that a fearsome demon lived in the deepest mountain ranges of this region. Those who claim to have seen him describe him as a ruthless creature, with snow-white fur and red eyes, as red as fresh blood.Many say that he was a beast possessing uncontrollable anger, he didn’t discriminate between humans or demons when he came to massacring those who roamed his lands.No one ever knew the creature's name, and no one ever needed to know it. The mere mention of him was an omen of catastrophe and tragedy, every living being simply longed never to have the misfortune of being on his way.”Two hundred years of absolute peace passed, however, during one night the demon's rage seems to have suddenly awakened, threatening the life of every creature in the region. Apparently, the only thing that keeps the demon calm is gone.He doesn’t want to murder, he doesn’t want to massacre, he only wants back what ishis.
Relationships: InuYasha/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 209





	1. Danger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please keep in mind that english is not my native language, any correction is welcome!

_Five hundred years ago, it is said that a fearsome demon lived in the deepest mountain ranges of this region. Those who claim to have seen him describe him as a ruthless creature, with the appearance of a giant dog, whose size could easily reach that of a mountain. With snow-white fur and red eyes, as red as fresh blood. If those red eyes looked at you, they could paralyze every muscle in your body, given the intense sensation of death they transmitted._

_Many say that he was a beast possessing uncontrollable anger, he didn’t discriminate between humans or demons when he came to massacring those who roamed his lands. It is believed that some villages even abandoned their buildings to seek a new home as far away from him as possible, those who heard his roar would be engulfed by terror and hopelessness capable of driving them mad._

_No one ever knew the creature's name, and no one ever needed to know it. The mere mention of him was an omen of catastrophe and tragedy, every living being simply longed never to have the misfortune of being on his way._

_This demon was not used to leaving his lands to attack villages in search of food, and it is said that multiple warriors and armies went deep into the mountains, wanting to obtain his head as a very precious trophy. No man ever returned, even the most experienced exterminators speculated that the demon was capable of devouring dozens of humans with a single bite._

_For hundreds of years the inhabitants of this region remained in a silent truce with the demon, fearful and cautious, but apparently he had no intention of initiating a massive slaughter until he was provoked. The existence of such a creature could not be ignored, but people learned to live with that ever-latent fear._

_Until years later, a dying princess dared to go looking for him in the mountains. There are those who affirm that she had been cursed until she lost her sanity, and others say that she was only moved by despair, since her castle had been engulfed by wars and all were killed, including her first son after a few days of birth._

_Apparently she believed that the demon could revive him and that, in addition, leaving him in his care would be the safest life option that the baby would ever have. No one knows whether the demon actually devoured the princess and left the boy's body to be eaten by scavengers, but the theory that has gained more strength over time is that he finally granted compassion to her. They say he poured his own blood into the baby's mouth and brought him back from the dead, allowing the mother to rest in peace knowing that her son would have a future._

_Since then, convinced by that act of benevolence, the inhabitants of this region began to see the creature as a deity. At the foot of the mountains a temple was built where they venerate him with offerings and prayers, asking for protection for the lives of children, and also giving thanks for the life of that child who was saved._

“If I'm not mistaken, two hundred years have passed since such events.” The older woman finished her story, a long thick rod was used to remove the coals from the fire, thus trying to prevent the faint flames from being extinguished.

The silence that appeared made her suppose that Rin had already fallen asleep, throughout the course of the story the girl had not interrupted at all, something that was not very common considering her usual conversational enthusiasm. Kaede turned to the girl in order to check if her suspicions were true, on the contrary, Rin looked back at her while looking thoughtful, her small hands still clinging to the edges of the futon that covered her.

“But lady Kaede, I don't understand...” The girl murmured. “If that demon was so bad, why did people start to see him as a deity? You said no one knows what really happened.”

Again the embers were removed from one side to the other, Kaede remained silent when she analyzed the question.

Every night, the little eight-year-old would ask her for a story before bed. The old priestess had no problem accessing, she had many to tell, but Rin seemed to particularly like that story regarding the deity of the mountains, the demon dog who had fed a baby with his blood to bring him back to life.

And every time Kaede mentioned it, Rin had new questions.

“Exactly, nobody knows what really happened.” Kaede conceded. “But I suppose people need something to believe in, they prefer to determine that the demon is now a deity that protects this region, instead of continuing to live threatened by his existence. Perhaps, that manages to bring some peace to their spirits.”

Rin again fell into a pensive silence, the old woman took the moment to push aside the rod with which she fanned the bonfire, her intention clearly being to end the talk and stand up.

She would go check the candles and incenses in the sanctuary before returning to the cabin to rest, she hoped Rin was already sleeping by then.

“Lady Kaede.” Rin said again.

The woman stopped her steps halfway, finding herself already short of crossing the wicker mat that protected the entrance.

“In these two hundred years, has the demon saved other children again?” The girl asked.

Kaede thought about the question, not surprised by Rin's inexhaustible curiosity. The little girl always managed to ask questions that in one way or another marveled Kaede for her cunning, and another thing that also caught the old woman's attention was the way Rin's eyes seemed to shine every time they both tackled the story of the demon in the mountains.

“I've never known anyone who can assure that. Since he is considered a deity, the creature's domain is sacred and no one has attempted to traverse beyond the temple where he is worshiped. I imagine that they fear breaking the truce and consider that it is better not to provoke his anger again.” Kaede replied.

“I see…” Rin whispered.

Rin looked a little discouraged at the answer, but far from delving further into the topic, with a smile and a quick "good night" she turned in the futon, ready to finally sleep.

Kaede left the hut within seconds, her slow footsteps heading toward the rock stairs that would lead her to the top of the hill behind the village, where the sanctuary was located. The rest of the villagers were already in their huts, the stillness helped the old woman's senses analyze the surroundings in search of possible dangers, fortunately only the nightly howling of the wind was heard among the trees and the crickets singing their vibrant songs.

The shrine was equally quiet, with the candle flame wavering and incense smoking throughout the room. Kaede carefully forced her aging joints to kneel in front of the small altar, her palms were brought together at the height of her face and she whispered to recite prayers of protection, of prosperity.

The night was calm, after leaving the concentration of her prayers she stopped to ramble on the fact that, in recent days, the village had not been attacked by evil creatures of any kind. Even if she tried to cover a wider range of time, they had never been plagued by any truly regrettable misfortune.

Unconsciously her thoughts wandered to the story previously told, to the legend of the deity of the mountains. It was true that the village where they resided was not too far from the sacred grounds of that supposed beast, perhaps two or three hours of walking to the temple dedicated to him.

Could it be that the creature really was a symbol of protection? Kaede wasn't sure, most likely that demon's strong popularity was enough to keep less powerful beings away.

Carefully she stood up again, one last bow to the altar was her farewell to announce that she would finally retire for a rest. Kaede was turning in the direction of the exit when she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye as the candle flames shook violently, as if a sudden current of wind inside the shrine made them waver until they were completely extinguished.

Outside the shrine, all kinds of sounds suddenly stopped.

Kaede forced herself to rush her steps to the doors of the place. Outside, the night seemed to have become more disturbing because of the absolute silence. From the top of the hill she could see how some villagers, probably also alerted by the unexpected change, had come out of their huts and were looking around with a certain fear.

Everyone sensed that radical feeling of threat, as if the danger had risen from every inch of the ground to a deafening hum.

The old woman turned her attention to the top of the mountains, moved almost by a hunch and at the same time a very hidden fear inside her. She felt her breath catch in her throat when she saw how turbulent black clouds began to gather on the highest peaks, until seconds ago the moonlight clearly delineated each silhouette of the mountain ranges, but now with those black clouds covering the sky, the night had quickly become gloomy and terrifying.

Suddenly, an immense power exploded until it spread like waves through the air, the top of the mountains apparently being its place of origin. The noise of a thunderous roar was heard in the distance, the sound propagated in such a way that Kaede felt as if each tree, cabin and structure was shaken by its intensity.

_Cannot be._

Kaede acted out of sheer instinct, quickly regained the mobility of her previously paralyzed body, and ran down the stairs, back toward the center of the village. She didn’t stop to consider the pain with which her old limbs demanded of her for the action, nor did she stop to consider the risk of stumbling and finishing the flight of steps due to falling.

Her heart was pounding in rapid warning beats. There were no new roars to break the silence of the night, but the dark clouds continued to swirl over the mountains, the crackling sensation of threat still hung over the village and seemed to spread further through the rice fields, through the forests, through every corner of the region.

_Could it be that the demon's rage has finally been awakened?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is almost introductory, in the next one most of the plot will be revealed.
> 
> See you soon!


	2. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!
> 
> Last night I answered all your comments, thank you so much! Inspiration came so suddenly that I quickly finished the second half of this chapter
> 
> Finally there will be 4 parts, sorry ;;

Kaede slowly peeked out from under the mat that covered the entrance, it was early morning, and she'd barely had a few hours of sleep.

Outside she met some villagers, all silent, but with various expressions of concern present on their faces. Mothers held their children close, men gripped their harvesting tools tightly, still unsure whether to start an ordinary workday or not.

Kaede understood this new animosity about them, the last night they had all been shaken by the thunderous roar from the mountains. It's true that nothing else had happened, no attack had been raised, the wind and the sounds of the night had returned to normal after a few minutes, however, the strange perception of threat was still present. That intense aura of crackling power still lingered, leaving a slight burning smell in the air, even until the next morning.

“Lady Kaede, what should we do?” A woman approached, carrying her little daughter in her arms. 

The old woman said nothing, watching the uneasiness on everyone's face, the fear. Were these the effects of hearing the roar of the mythical beast? Was this a curse that would condemn them to live in terror forever?

“We must remain alert, in all these years the Deity of the Mountains has remained without attacking us.” Saying that, Kaede turned to the mountains where the demon lived. “We don't know if something changed, if something could provoke his fury.”

Nothing indicated this demon as being responsible for such events, but it was almost unspoken.

A murmur of hopelessness spread in everyone's mouth, Kaede looked again at the villagers and then realized that each of them was looking towards the mountains. With rueful expressions, some with their backs bent and hands clasped in prayer, the unease was definitely only increasing as the turbulent clouds continued to shadow the sacred grounds of the beast.

Finally, Rin appeared at the entrance to the cabin where she and Kaede lived, her hands clinging to the wooden frame and the uncertainty present in her childish features. Kaede knew that the girl was also afraid, perhaps Rin was young, but unfortunately at her age she clearly understood the misfortunes and dangers present in life itself.

“Lady Kaede, please come see this!” A man exclaimed, as he ran up from the forest.

The old woman held tight her bow that served as a support as she walked, the villager stopped in front of her, struggling to catch his breath while Kaede heard around her as new murmurs of concern rose.

Rin ran until she clung to the priestess's clothes, hiding behind her. Kaede knew that she shouldn't allow Rin to accompany her, but the girl was scared, and she wouldn't feel safe if Kaede left her alone in the village, no matter if it was for a few minutes.

Guided by this villager, they and another group of people walked into the forest, some men carrying their farming tools perhaps as possible weapons. The tension was felt over everyone, the silence would have been absolute except for the occasional whispers of a few.

Kaede went forward, Rin still clinging to her kimono as she advanced.  
The thunder of the water of the river began to be heard closer, the trees were opening as the forest was leaving behind. Three men were ahead, also villagers, seemed to argue among themselves with concern and skepticism.

“Lady Kaede, thanks for coming.” One of them approached with a bow in front of the old woman, and without waiting for an answer, he guided the new group of people towards the riverbank, pointing to the body in the water.

Kaede and the other villagers stared in surprise at the unconscious boy, a young man with black hair, half-length lying on the rocks and the rest underwater. He seemed to have been carried by the current to that place, Kaede imagined the boy had managed to hold on to something to fight against the flow of the river, before losing consciousness.

But what was puzzling was the number of wounds that were visible at first glance. A cut on his forehead that was still bleeding, perhaps from a blow to the rocks in the river. Some arrows stuck in his back and arms, as if he had tried to protect himself. A sword protruded from his right shoulder, it seemed to be at least three inches of sharp to pierce the flesh. Those were chains tangled around his neck? Kaede hoped she was wrong.

“It could be an evil creature, we should let the river take his body.”

“His hands are submerged underwater, maybe it's a trap and he's armed.”

“What if he's a bandit? When he wakes up he could try going to the village. We must get rid of him. “

“Take him out of the water and bring him with us.” Kaede interrupted the villagers' discussion.

Immediately the surprised faces turned towards her, but the priestess seemed determined, her calm gaze crossed the face of each one of those present.

“This boy doesn't have an evil presence, he seems to be just a human. We must tend to his wounds before he loses more blood, if he's still alive.” She finished, looking back at the unconscious young man.

The villagers were silent for a couple of seconds, but ended up approaching the uneasy waters. They trusted the priestess Kaede, so they helped each other with ropes and harvesting tools, hooked the unconscious boy's red clothes and carefully dragged him to the shallow shore.

Two of the men entered the river to be able to push the inert body out of the water, it was a dead weight, the boy at no time showed any sign of waking up.

Rin grew closer to Kaede, her expression looking frightened as she saw the chains and weapons on the stranger's body.

“Is he dead?” The girl's question was lacking in malice, only genuine concern.

“His chest is still moving, he seems to be breathing.”

_______________________

New lacerations were unveiled when Kaede set out to heal the boy, not just the damage to his shoulder, arms, back, and forehead. The chains around his neck had left a gruesome trail, furious purplish reddish bruises, they made Kaede wonder how the man's windpipe hadn't broken like a branch.

There were also cuts on his hands, a fractured left wrist, and minor blows to his legs and chest that could also be due to the flow of the river.

The diversity of the weapons that had wounded him indicated the boy had been attacked by more than one person, perhaps by a group. Kaede still couldn't find clues as to why.

“Will he stay with us?” Rin questioned with genuine curiosity, her gaze on the boy's face before turning to Kaede.

“We don't know if he has a home to return to, it's better to wait until he wakes up.” Kaede said.

Rin nodded silently, her big eyes once again returning to the stranger's sleeping face. Kaede understood that curiosity of the girl, the boy was frankly a puzzle.

They had removed the upper garments in order to clean and bandage the wounds, they soon discovered that the boy didn't have any type of weapon. Apparently, besides the clothes on, the boy didn't bring anything else. Nothing that could identify him as a member of some village or just a wandering traveler.

Kaede quietly gathered the rags she used to clean the stranger, her water pot was now cloudy with blood and mud, she would need clean water. The old woman thought about going to look for more, but she was afraid to leave Rin alone with this man, who was not armed, but Kaede didn't know what his reaction would be when he woke up in an unknown place, after being attacked so severely.

“Rin, I need you to go for more water please.” Kaede asked.

The girl immediately nodded, took the pot of dirty water, and quickly left the cabin, probably heading toward the river.

The old woman was silent again, being accompanied only by the unconscious man. Recent events managed to distract her from the danger that the Deity of the Mountains posed, everything remained calm outside, except for the constant feeling of threat that hung in the air.

She wondered if she should go to the temple of the deity, perhaps she could find out what was happening, or perhaps she could deliver some kind of offering or prayer to calm the demon again.

The legend indicated that the inhabitants of the region had lived hundreds of years feeling threatened by the existence of that demon, until the supposed event of the human princess and her baby. Kaede didn't want to return to those times, she didn't want danger and fear to be something of every day for everyone.

So immersed in her thoughts was she that she couldn't help but be surprised when she caught movement of the boy's body out of the corner of her eye. He seemed to be waking up, with a sore murmur and a slowness justified by the pain he was probably feeling in every inch of his skin.

Kaede instinctively backed away, as a precaution and also to make space in case the young man wanted to get up. And so it was, the priestess watched the stranger roll onto his side, new sounds of pain, the damaged arm pressed against his chest and with the other tried to have support to get up, while finally opening his eyes.

They were brown, brown eyes that looked at Kaede first in surprise, and then with caution. The boy also backed away, crawled away from the old woman and opened his mouth to try to speak, his throat must have been badly damaged by the chains, soon a cough that must have been very painful interrupted him.

“Calm down, you're in a safe place.” Kaede quickly said, raising both hands to show that she had no intention of attacking him. “We found you in the river and brought you to heal your wounds, there is nothing to fear.”

The boy lay down against the far wall, his fractured wrist still against his chest and the other hand gently touching his bruised throat. He seemed to be slowly measuring the damage to his body, his dark eyes didn't stop looking at Kaede suspiciously.

The priestess got up and headed towards the campfire across the room, putting her full attention on the boy would probably make him more restless, he looked exhausted and sore, so Kaede was not afraid to turn her back on him to occupy herself in serving some vegetable soup in a small bowl. 

“Here, I can imagine that you haven't eaten in many hours.”

She placed the bowl on the floor, within reach of the young man, but he gave no sign of wanting to take the food. It was as if he had shrunk as far as possible in a corner, he looked like a bristling, cornered animal. Without the strength to attack, but with much intention to defend himself.

“I brought the water just as you asked me, Lady Kaede!”

Rin exclaimed with joy, holding the pot with clean water as she entered the cabin.  
Faced with the sudden presence, the boy turned his attention to the girl, instinctively showing his teeth and growling without stopping to consider the damage to his throat. Rin dropped the water to the ground and ran scared until she took refuge behind Kaede, observing at all times that man, who was curling up again in himself and looking at both women with silent distrust.

“Easy, Rin. He must be scared, we have to be careful around him.” Kaede mentioned the latest in a whisper, resting her hand lovingly on the little girl's head.

The silence in the cabin was maintained for much of the day, Kaede and Rin went out for a few hours, but upon returning the boy was still there, in a corner, completely still and apparently without having tasted a drop of soup.

His bandages became stained again with blood in some places, but Kaede didn't want to pressure him to replace them. She and Rin pretended to chat naturally without stopping in the presence of the young man, not receiving attention seemed to be the only thing that made him feel less tense.

With the fall of night, the people in the village had returned to their huts and outside only the soft rocking of the tree branches was heard due to the wind.

Rin was holding her bowl of stew as she strained with every ounce of her strength not to look at the boy in the corner, at some point he had stared at an undetermined point on the wall, deliberately ignoring everything around him. Kaede had exchanged the previous bowl of soup for a new plate of hot food, but this didn't spark the interest of the stranger either.

“Lady Kaede, when will everything return to normal?” Rin asked.

The old woman took a few seconds before answering, to be fair she didn't know for sure if things would return to normal on their own, and something that worried her was the hum of power coming from the mountains only seemed to have increased in the course of the day.

What would come next?

“I don't know, Rin. First we must know exactly what is happening.” Kaede said, before eating her own food.

“If he lived in peace for so many years, why now does the Deity of the Mountains seem angry?” Rin asked again.

Kaede said nothing, but her gaze caught on that the girl's words made the silent man suddenly turn towards them, a certain surprise was reflected in his brown eyes.

Rin followed Kaede's gaze to the stranger's face, noticing that he was watching them, she jumped to her feet and ran to one end of the cabin. Almost immediately she was back, the clothes that had been taken from the boy to heal his wounds were in her hands, she knelt at a certain distance from him and placed them on the ground, within reach of him.

“Here, this is yours!” The girl exclaimed with a smile. “They were a little dirty so during the afternoon I washed them for you.”

Of course she didn't get a return answer, but the boy's eyes went to his clothes, before Rin didn't want to bother him anymore and returned to Kaede, to continue eating.

_______________________

As Kaede thought, no one in the village dared to leave their cabins overnight. The stillness was absolute, even the crickets and fireflies had decided to stay hidden in their shelters, only the wind had the courage to continue whistling.

The interior of the shrine had felt especially cold that night, Kaede didn't understand why. Her prayers were the same, she requests protection and tranquility for the village. Each current of wind brought with it a new hum of threatening power, for a moment Kaede thought she heard an unknown growl rising in her mind as a warning.

In her descent down the stone stairs she could not help but look towards the mountains where the beast lived, everything seemed gloomy, the clouds of that territory had expanded and now completely covered the sky with turbulent darkness.

She knew it was risky, but Kaede made the decision, the next morning she would take a horse and go to the temple of the deity. And if it became necessary, she would go further into his land.

When she returned to the cabin Rin was already asleep, Kaede was internally relieved to see her safe, and under that thought, she turned to the corner where the boy they found that day was.

He had covered himself with his clothes almost to the crown of his head, probably without the strength to dress is body, although this way he could also be sheltered from the cold of the night. Having only a view of the black hair peeking out from the red cloth, Kaede couldn't tell if the young man was asleep or not. If he wasn't, she didn't think he would move from that place anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any correction is welcome, see you soon!


End file.
